Does differential habitat selection facilitate coexistence between badgers and hedgehogs?

Predicting the spatial and temporal responses of species exhibiting
intra-guild predation (IGP) relationships is difficult due to variation in
potential interactions and environmental context. Eurasian badgers (Meles
meles) are intra-guild predators of European hedgehogs (Erinaceus
europaeus) and are implicated in their population decline via both direct
predation and competition for shared food resources. Previous studies have
shown spatial separation between these species and attributed this to
hedgehogs experiencing a ‘landscape of fear’, but little is known about
the potential role of differential habitat use. We estimated the density
and occupancy of both species at 22 rural study sites in England and
Wales, to explore whether food availability, habitat, or the presence of
badgers, explained hedgehog distributions. Hedgehog density varied
significantly across major rural land uses, whereas badger density did
not. Although both species co-existed at a regional (1 km²) scale,
occupancy modelling showed spatial segregation at a finer (individual
camera trap) scale, associated with differential habitat use. In contrast
to badgers, hedgehogs were recorded near buildings, and in areas
supporting lower invertebrate biomass. This is in agreement with IGP
theory, whereby IG-prey may occupy sub-optimal habitat to avoid predation,
however hedgehog habitat use did not vary relative to the presence of
badgers. Badger and hedgehog temporal activity showed no evidence of
separation. Although these findings are consistent with hedgehogs avoiding
badgers via a landscape of fear, they are also indicative of differential
habitat use, highlighting the need for more holistic studies considering
variation in habitat selection and food availability when investigating
intra-guild relationships. Future studies exploring alternative hypotheses
for urban habitat selection by hedgehogs are needed to better understand
how possible spatial niche partitioning may support their coexistence with
badgers in some areas.